Have you ever asked God to give you a “word” for the year?
I hadn’t until I started meeting with a group of writers several years ago (I’m waving to you, Robin!) and a few of them had done it. Ever since, we’ve prayed together asking the Lord to show us something specific he wants each of us to focus on for the year.
I’ll be the first to admit that some years February has rolled around and I still haven’t heard anything. Maybe it’s that I’m not listening well enough (wouldn’t be the first time) or maybe God’s teaching me patience (again, not a first), but in recent days I’ve felt my focus being continually pulled back to eternity. I’ve felt the definite nudge to see situations, every aspect of my life, the decisions I make, the words I utter, in light of heaven, the believer’s forever home.
So my word(s) for 2015 are eternal perspective.
As is the case every year, I think I have an idea of what God is saying to me and what he’ll teach me in coming months. But in the same breath, I also know how wrong I’ve been about guessing this in the past. Because God is so much bigger than I am. His love is so much wider and deeper. His presence is steadfast, unshakeable. And He sees my life from beginning to end. He resides in the moment of my birth just as certainly as he resides in the moment when I’ll breath my last here on earth. He’s Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. Untethered by time.
So as 2015 unfolds, my renewed commitment is to see my life, this world and its people and events, through the lens of eternity. I want to love like Jesus loves. I want to thirst for Him in a way I haven’t before. I realize that in asking this I’m likely asking for trials and trouble. After all, those bring growth and maturity, right?
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
(Romans 5:3,4 NLT)
I love that. Trials lead to endurance. Endurance to character. And character to hope of salvation. Which doesn’t disappoint.
So while, yes, I’m determined to lose weight this year, to be more consistent in my Bible study, to be more disciplined, to write faster and better, to be a better wife and mother, along with numerous other goals, my continual prayer for this year will be for the Holy Spirit to give me more of an eternal perspective so that perhaps I’ll this life more to its fullest…by viewing it more clearly through the lens of the next.
Do you have a word for 2015? Is this concept new to you?
I know this runs more toward the personal, but I so look forward to you sharing.
Much love,
Tammy
To Whisper Her Name
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Tamera Alexander
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I will be rereading your post after this comment. What beautiful, wonderful, heartfelt words, Tamera. They were truly what I needed to read. Here’s to a great year for you! My 2015 word is focus.
Thanks for your kind words, Ganise. I’m praying right this minute for the Holy Spirit to enable you in his supernatural way to focus this year. To focus on the life and tasks God has chosen uniquely for you. Much love, friend.
Thank you so much, Tamera. Xx
No, I don’t. I’ve personally never felt led to choose a word for the year. God always seems to be teaching me and dealing with me on multiple fronts. 🙂 I like to tell women that if God lays a particular word or emphasis for a time on your heart, that’s wonderful, and that’s what He means for you to focus on for a while, but don’t feel like you have to choose one word or phrase or feel guilty if nothing is coming to you. God might be dealing with you in another way, but don’t worry, if you’re His child He will definitely be teaching you, leading you, and maturing you.
I appreciated your thoughts on eternal perspective. That’s something we all need to come back to and recalibrate our thoughts to often. A former pastor used to sing a little chorus called “Eternity’s Values in View” that comes back to mind often.
I so hear you on God teaching on multiple fronts, Barbara. Same here, friend. He never ceases to amaze me at his interest in the details of our lives and hearts. And in our obedience to Him. His lovingkindness is unfathomable. Thanks for sharing today and I’m praying for you in this New Year!
It’s funny you should ask, Tammy. In nearly everything I’ve been reading this New Year, the word JOY keeps popping up. I haven’t been finding much JOY lately as I race toward my January 15 book deadline. But I think I’d better pay closer attention to JOY from now on. Thanks for the great blog.
JOY! Love that, Lynn. Truly, when I think of you…I think of JOY! And laughter and full reliance on the Spirit of God. Love how he works in each of us to shine his presence and light.
Thank you for sharing this with us, sweet Tammy….and what a wonderful way to view everything in this life – – through an eternal perspective. Wow – – love that.
For many years I faithfully wrote out my list of “New Year’s Resolutions” each year – – always determined to follow through *sigh*.
Several years ago when I read about the “One Word” concept, I loved it so I began doing that instead of the usual resolutions.
A few weeks ago the Lord gave me the word JOY (I promise I am not copying Lynn Austin, LOL). At first I wasn’t quite sure that was supposed to be my word for 2015, but the Lord kept pressing this word on my heart. So I am striving to live this year seeing the JOY in each day—no matter if physical pain is wearing me down, or it’s just “one of those days” that don’t seem to be the best – – I want to remember and feel the JOY from the One who is in control. 🙂 There’s another reason this word is special to me, and I really think that’s another reason the Lord has given me this word. Many years ago my precious Mama told me the way to have true JOY in our lives is to live this way: J- Put JESUS first
O – Put OTHERS next
Y – Put yourself last
Her words made such an impression on me that I’ve never forgotten this – – so this year I want to truly LIVE this way each and every day.
Praying your year will be overflowing with blessings, sweet Tammy.
Love, Patti Jo
Oh Patti Jo, you never cease to encourage, dear friend. Love your thoughts and appreciate you sharing what your sweet mom said. I’ll never look at JOY the same again! Hugs in this New Year, and so grateful we’re walking through it together.
Hi Tamera.
I have never chosen a word for the year before. Debbie Macomber wrote a book on it but I never felt led to do it. Now it seems that many of the authors are doing this. I felt that I might try it for this year. I can’t say that God led me to this word but I have chosen it because it is something I really need to do.
I have found that during church services my mind wanders a lot. For sometime I took notes which helped a lot. But I need to be able to FOCUS on the message and not have a wandering wondering mind. So as you have probably already figured it out my word for this year is focus. I will put my focus on focusing. Not just on the message at church but on everything going on around me.
Blessings to you in 2015 Miss Tamera.
Shirley
Hey Shirley, bless you for sharing. I’m praying focus for you even now as I type, asking God to speak to you not just today but through the coming year in terms of focus. That he’ll draw you closer and reveal himself more fully as you focus on his good and perfect will for your life.
As Barbara said above (and which is true for me) sometimes I’ve felt God’s leading in “a word” more than other times. I think the important thing is that, with a new year and a fresh start as it were, we recommit ourselves to following him more closely. The “offering ourselves as a daily sacrifice” truth. And having a word helps me to follow through on that commitment. Is it mandatory? Absolutely not. But I’ve found it so helpful in my walk with Him.
Much love to you. So glad we’re in this community together.
The Lord has laid the word “Hope” on me for this year. I started this a few years ago after reading Debbie Macomber and how she does this every year.
This past year has had many trials for me and I felt I lost hope. All of December the word “hope” kept coming up in conversations, books, and the Bible. I am already feeling renewed hope and I look forward to what the Lord wants me to learn about hope.
Pat, you hit it on the head, lady. Having a word makes us more AWARE of God working in ways around us. At least that’s true for me. Already, you’re feeling renewed hope due to the Holy Spirit making you more aware, because of his working in your life and because of your HEART BEING MORE ATTUNED TO HIS (not yelling that point, just emphasizing it, LOL). Much love to you, and I’m praying Hope for you both today and in all the ones to come in 2015.
Yep my word is Togetherness. Week 1, the Lord’s been teaching me about how two are better than one. That working together improves our lives, keeps us covered in prayer, and able to avoid temptation (accountability). We also played our first cooperative game as a family and that yielded such lovely conversations about why it is better to work as a team than against one another. Looking forward to 2015 and all the relationships that will be built and edified through togetherness.
Bless you, Jessica, and I love your word! I’m so grateful we’re “together” in his body.
I think my word this year (and this is the first year I’ve had a word) is “legacy.” This year I want to start making decisions with the future in mind, knowing that my decisions now could affect my future husband and children. I also want to start building a legacy – a journal, home videos, a blog etc so that future generations can find read and find out what my life was like., and what I was like.
Legacy. Love that, Jodie, and am praying that the Holy Spirit will draw you closer to the Lord as you live more purposefully with your legacy in mind. Much love…
I really enjoyed reading about your word(s) for the year Tammy. I also love reading everyone’s comments on what their word is. I, too, have never done this before; however, God seems to be impressing upon my heart the word commit. So I’m using as my main verse(s) Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established” and Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” I’m praying for God to show me what it means to truly commit everything I am and do to Him this year.
Thank you for the encouragement! Blessings, Marcie
I began to change what I felt I needed to work on about three months before the New Year. I’ve had a bad habit of not following through when the New Year arrives, anyway. So, I thought it best to start early coming into 2015. Overall, it has been better. My momentum has been built up in certain areas of my life. Now, my focus is to “finish” the goals that I can during the First Quarter of 2015. Afterwards, it will be time to begin for new adventures. But if I don’t finish the projects I’ve already begun first, they’ll be collecting dust for another year.